Cincinnati police looking for another mob attack suspect; videos appear to show him punching white male just after slap



Cincinnati police are looking for another mob attack suspect — and videos appear to depict him as the first individual to go after the white male who slapped a black male in the face immediately before the beatdown late last month.

Police provided an image of the suspect in question and said in their X post that "Central Business Section is investigating a Felonious Assault offense that occurred on 4th Street and Elm on July 26, 2025. If you have any information, please contact Det. Blank at 513-352-5442."

'You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit in the wind, you don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger, and you don't slap a black man in the face.'

The suspect in question is seen in the photo wearing a dark bucket-style hat with white lettering on the front, a white short-sleeved shirt with black lettering and multicolored designs, black shorts, and red and white sneakers.

One cellphone video appears to show a rear view of the suspect standing just to the right of the black male whose face was slapped by the white male. Just after the slap, the still-unknown suspect — whose shirt seems to read "Loyalty Is Rare" among other words on the back — appears to punch at the white male, after which others join in and also go after the white male.

A second cellphone video shows the same thing as the previous video, except it was recorded from the front. However, from the front angle, the suspect's apparent retaliation against the white male seems rather minimal; his thrown punch and shove don't appear to do any damage, and he's quickly pulled away. However, others who join in appear to be more successful in their physical attacks.

A third cellphone video — which is the main clip of the attack — appears to show the suspect following two attackers who go after the white male and knock him down in the street; soon he's thoroughly beaten up with punches and stomps. However, in the third clip the suspect in question doesn't appear to get physical with anybody, including the white male he appeared to go after following the earlier slap.

Cincinnati police on Tuesday didn't immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment about the suspect — specifically if police view him as helping to fuel the mob attack, or if other videos show him doing other things. Police on Tuesday also didn't immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment regarding if the white male who delivered the slap will be charged.

Cincinnati's black leaders have said the case's prosecution so far has been unfair to the black community — and they've demanded charges against the white male seen on video slapping the face of a black male just prior to the mob attack breaking out.

RELATED: Male accused of punching woman in face, knocking her out during Cincinnati mob attack finally appears in court

"What incited and who incited the rioting? If the riot is because of a slap, who incited the rioting?" Rev. Damon Lynch said recently to a crowd at New Prospect Baptist Church, WXIX-TV reported.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval around the same time said, "If you slap someone, if you engage in that kind of violence, you should be held accountable. I'm not going to tell the investigators what to do; that's not my role,” WXIX said in a separate story.

BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock — who's been commenting on the mob beatdown since it all unfolded late last month — blasted Cincinnati's black leaders for their collective stance.

RELATED: Cincinnati official who said mob attack victims 'begged' for beating doubles down; woman punched in face records tearful clip

One of the clips Whitlock aired shows Rev. Lynch altering the lyrics of a Jim Croce song for his own purposes as he spoke to the crowd at church: "You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit in the wind, you don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger, and you don't slap a black man in the face."

Whitlock responded to Lynch's words by saying, "Why is he racializing this? It's disrespectful to slap anyone, regardless of color, in the face. Is he saying ... if a black person slaps a black person in the face, it's OK? If a black gang member shoots a black man in the face, it's OK? If a black gang member accidentally shoots some young black child, it's OK? But everybody knows that you don't slap a black man in the face, I guess, unless you're black. He's in a church talking about common street thugs — and I'll include the white guy in that, because he ... seemed to be trying to fight with someone. ... [The reverend is] justifying to the people in that audience and other black people in Cincinnati that if you get slapped in the face by a white person, a gang of you all should jump on that man and beat up the woman. This is inside of a church! This is insanity; this is lack of humility."

Chief Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Kip Guinan also addressed the face slap, saying that it came after someone else was already beaten, not before, WXIX reported in another story. Guinan also acknowledged that racial slurs are audible on some of the videos of the mob attack — however, he said the slurs were uttered "a minute and 47 seconds into the brutal beatdown," the station reported.

"Were there words said? Yes. Were they inappropriate? Absolutely," Guinan also noted, WXIX reported, before adding that "these poor people were being assaulted, stomped WWE-style, elbow-drops onto pavement. One woman was knocked out to the point her head hit the pavement. We could be here on a homicide.”

So far, seven suspects have been charged in connection with the mob attack. Six of them — four males and two females — have been indicted on eight charges each: three counts of felonious assault, three counts of assault, and two counts of aggravated riot. Those six face nearly 30 years in jail if convicted on all charges.

The two female suspects got big breaks last week from a judge who reduced their bonds of several hundred thousand dollars each down to $25,000 each, of which they owed just 10%. Fox News said the two females were released from jail Friday.

RELATED: Cincinnati mob attack suspect accused of punching woman in face, apparently knocking her out, is arrested

(L to R) Dekyra Vernon, Aisha Devaughn. Image source: Hamilton County (Ohio) Sheriff, composite

The seventh suspect — 32-year-old Gregory Wright — was indicted Friday for aggravated riot and aggravated robbery, WXIX reported in another story, citing court records. Wright pleaded not guilty at his initial arraignment, the station said.

Police said in a criminal complaint that Wright "did by force rip the necklace off the victim while he was being assaulted by four or more co-defendants attempting to cause serious physical harm," WXIX said, adding that a police flyer indicated Wright put the necklace in his pocket and then took video of the rest of the mob attack. Wright remained behind bars Tuesday evening, jail records show.

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6 now charged in Cincinnati mob attack; mayor says man who issued 'slap' prior to beatdown is being 'actively investigated'



Cincinnati officials on Friday said six people are now charged in connection with the mob attack that took place in the city's downtown area last weekend — and the mayor said a man seen on video issuing a "slap" prior to the beatdown is being "actively investigated."

Earlier this week, police said five people had been charged in connection with the mob attack, and three of them have been arrested to date. With the new development that six people have been charged, that leaves three people who have yet to be taken into custody.

'The level of attack on this man? Completely unjustified.'

According to video of Friday's news conference, after a reporter asked if a charge is coming to the man who issued the "slap" prior to the mob attack, Mayor Aftab Pureval said that man is being "actively investigated."

"We take all violence very seriously," Pureval said, adding that "we expect more charges and more arrests."

The mayor also said during the news conference that he "profoundly disagrees" with city council member Victoria Parks, who infamously declared in a Facebook comment that the victims of the mob attack "begged for that beat down!"

In addition, Police Chief Teresa Theetge said at the news conference that next week she may be releasing "additional footage ... that tells a little bit more of the story" surrounding the mob attack.

RELATED: US senator shares grisly photos of woman's bruised, battered face after Cincinnati mob attack

You can view cellphone videos of the mob attack here, here, here, here, and here.

The final two videos appear to show a man dressed in a white shirt and black pants — who would soon be beaten up by the mob — making physical contact with the male in the red shirt and black shorts, who soon would take part in the mob attack.

However, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock on Monday stated on "Jason Whitlock Harmony" that he's heard the argument that the man dressed in the white shirt and black pants — a white man — "started it" by making physical contact with the male in the red shirt and black shorts — a black man — and that was justification for the mob attack.

But Whitlock wasn't having it.

"That's ridiculous to me," Whitlock said. "The level of attack on this man? Completely unjustified."

RELATED: 'Despicable human being!!' Cincinnati official triggers venomous reactions to her comment about mob attack victims

BlazeTV contributor Shemeka Michelle agreed, telling Whitlock the attack was "definitely unjustified. When they tried to show the video of the guy in the red being pushed and acting as if that was justification. ... But for all of these people to jump in — and it wasn't just men jumping in; there were women jumping in as if they were men."

Whitlock on Sunday posted a message on X calling out the mob attack, saying that "this behavior and lack of national outrage are unsustainable. It's unsustainable. The anti-white bigotry at the root of this behavior must be addressed. Sickening."

The FBI on Monday opened an investigation into the mob attack, WXIX-TV reported. The incident is under investigation as a potential hate crime, according to Fox News.

Republican U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio late Wednesday shared grisly images of a woman's face in an X post after she was beaten up and apparently knocked out cold during the mob attack.

The mother of one of the arrested mob attack suspects defended her 'honor roll' son earlier this week — a 34-year-old who's been charged with felonious assault and aggravated riot — saying, "My child is in school, he has five kids, he's on the B honor roll in school."

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Wide receiver slaps fan in the face in humiliating video, sparking investigation



Wide receiver Samson Nacua was captured on camera slapping an opposing team's fan following a loss.

A UFL game between the Michigan Panthers and the St. Louis Battlehawks generated buzz for all the wrong reasons after the game when a Panthers player got into it with a fan. Inside the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, the Battlehawks had just beat the Panthers 32-27 when Nacua was seen in a video mid-altercation with a St. Louis fan who was leaning over the railing of the stands.

As the fan leaned closer and Nacua inched toward him, the wide receiver flinched once before he reached up and slapped the fan across the face. Receiver Adonis Alexander was also seen standing nearby; he pointed and laughed at the fan before a Panthers staff member got between him and the fan.

Photo by Mike Mulholland/UFL/Getty Images

The video was widely circulated online and in one instance on X was seen about two million times.

The UFL later released a statement saying the incident was under investigation.

"The UFL is aware of the incident that took place last evening at the conclusion of the Michigan Panthers vs. St. Louis Battlehawks game in St. Louis. League officials are currently investigating the matter," the league said, per ESPN.

The fan's name is currently unknown, and there are no known social media posts or public comments from him regarding the incident. Neither the UFL nor the Panthers have provided additional commentary on the matter regarding punishments to the player.

The 27-year-old receiver is the brother of 23-year-old NFL receiver Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams. Puka is a Pro Bowl player and considered one of the best up-and-coming receivers in the league.

A third Nacua brother also plays for the UFL's Panthers, Kai Nacua, who plays safety.

Samson has seven catches for 117 yards and one touchdown this season in the UFL. He attended Utah and BYU in the NCAA and reportedly tried out for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints in the NFL.

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Subway rider fights back after 'much bigger' passenger slaps him in face, sends his glasses flying



Alexander Rakitin told the New York Post he's been commuting from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the subway for almost three decades — but in the last couple of years he's noticed the danger factor increase.

“I think everyone who takes the subway feels scared and nervous,” Rakitin, a father who works in finance, told the Post. “There’s a degree of nervousness all the time. Scanning my surroundings, seeing irate, angry people. People just not following the rules, antisocial behavior, criminal behavior, and aggression.”

'Everybody that gets on the subway in the morning knows they're going down into a dangerous place. That's just the reality we live in.'

Rakitin experienced all of that dialed up several notches earlier this week in a dangerous encounter captured on cellphone video.

Just after 8:30 a.m. Monday, Rakitin was aboard the N train when another passenger became upset, WABC-TV reported.

The Post noted that Rakitin, 42, accidentally nudged the knee of 34-year-old Timothy Barbee.

"He's being aggressive that apparently I sat too close to him, even though I wasn't in an adjacent seat," Rakitin told the station. "It's just he felt that's his personal space, and he was being very aggressive. I told him to just chill out. Like, just chill. It's 8:30 in the morning. Just going to work. Nobody needs this. Just chill out. And he just escalated."

Video shows the pair jawing at each other with apparent expletives when Barbee tells Rakitin to "make me chill" and repeatedly orders him to "shut the f*** up." Rakitin tells Barbee that "you started it," and the pair stare each other down.

With that, Barbee tells Rakitin, “I ain’t got time to go to jail today" and to "stop staring at me" — and then slaps Rakitin in the face, causing Rakitin's glasses to fly off his head.

Rakitin told WABC that while he's had previous encounters on the subway, this was the first time it escalated into physical violence.

But Rakitin said he fought back.

"I got on top of him, and I just grabbed ahold of him," he told the station. "And I was thinking, like, 'Just don't let go because he's much bigger than me.' I don't know what's on his mind, so I was just holding him until the cops came."

Rakitin added to WABC that Barbee started calling out for help. What's more, Rakitin told the Post that Barbee — and other passengers — actually began telling Ratikin to let Barbee go.

“The only way I can explain it to myself is that the people that saw it start, how it started, they just ran away," Rakitin told the paper. "Most people just ran away into a different train car. And then the people that didn’t see it start only paid attention when I wrestled him to the ground.”

The Post said Barbee was arrested after the train pulled into the next stop; he was charged with third-degree assault. WABC said Rakitin wasn't seriously hurt.

Barbee declined to comment on the incident after his Tuesday arraignment, the Post reported.

"Everybody that gets on the subway in the morning knows they're going down into a dangerous place," Rakitin told WABC. "That's just the reality we live in."

You can view WABC's video report here about the incident. The Post's video shows the argument, the slap — and then Barbee being led off the train in handcuffs.

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Academy claims that Will Smith 'refused' to leave the Oscars ceremony after he slapped Chris Rock



Following the Oscars debacle when actor Will Smith got on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock, the Academy on Wednesday issued a statement that claimed Smith was asked to depart, but refused.

"Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently," the statement said, according to Deadline.

The viral incident occurred at the Oscars on Sunday after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith: "Jada ... G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it," Rock said.

Will Smith approached and slapped Rock, then returned to his seat and loudly exclaimed, "Keep my wife's name out your f***in' mouth."

Smith later returned to the stage to accept an Oscar for his acting in "King Richard."

On Monday, the A-list actor issued a statement in which he apologized to Rock.

"My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally," Smith said in the statement. "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."

In its statement on Wednesday, the Academy announced that its Board of Governors had begun disciplinary proceedings regarding Smith.

"The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy," the statement noted.

"Consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response. At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct," the statement said.